BEIJING: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will host a call of Group of Seven (G7) leaders on Wednesday to discuss the crisis in the Middle East, her office said.
Meloni told her cabinet that there was “deep concern” about the latest developments, including Iran’s missile attack against Israel and the growing instability in Lebanon, her office said.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that Israel would “face harsher reactions” if it does not cease what he referred to as “its crimes.”
Pezeshkian made these remarks prior to his scheduled trip to Qatar, where he stated that his primary objective in Doha is to discuss bilateral relations and sign agreements with the Qatari government.
He will also attend the Asia Cooperation Dialogue summit.
He added: “The second goal is to explore how Asian countries can work together to prevent Israeli crimes in the region and stop enemies from creating unrest in the Middle East.”
“China is deeply concerned about the turmoil in the Middle East, opposes the violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and opposes the intensification of contradictions and the expansion of conflicts,” a spokesman of the country’s foreign ministry said.
“China calls on the international community, especially influential countries, to play a constructive role to avoid further turmoil in the situation,” he added. “China believes that the failure to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza is the root cause of this round of turmoil in the Middle East.
“All parties should achieve a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible,” he urged.
UN chief Antonio Guterres called to stem the “broadening conflict in the Middle East,” saying in a statement: “This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz says he is barring Guterres from entering the country for his failure to “unequivocally condemn” Iran’s huge missile attack on Israel.
The United Nations Security Council will meet later in the day to discuss the escalation, but in a sign that Western states are looking to anticipate the worsening situation, Cyprus said it had activated a mechanism to allow third-country nationals evacuating the Middle East safe passage through the island.
The Jordanian government says it will not allow the country to become a battleground.“Protecting Jordan and Jordanians is our first responsibility,” government spokesperson Mohammad Momani told local media.
His comments came after Iran fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for the killing of people in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as the assassination of top Hamas, Hezbollah and Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) leaders.
Jordan moved to shut its airspace while the kingdom’s Public Security Directorate issued a statement, saying “the Royal Jordanian Air Force and air defense systems responded to a number of missiles and drones that entered Jordanian airspace.” –The Daily Mail-CGTN news exchange item
